Walter Byers

Walter Byers Contributor

Inducted in 2009

BIOAt 29 years old, Byers was given the task of creating a national office for the NCAA, which had governed college sports since 1906. During his 36-year tenure, the NCAA grew from 381 member schools to more than 1,000. The number of championships increased from 11 for men to 74 for men and women. Byers immediately expanded the NCAA Tournament from eight teams to 16 in his first year and he headed the movement into the current format we enjoy today. He negotiated television contracts for football and basketball that went from $1 million to more than $74 million in 1987.